# Expansion of women’s basketball media coverage

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/expansion-of-womens-basketball-media-coverage
> Updated: 2026-10-13T15:30:36.000Z. Sources: 15. Developments: 2.

The media landscape for women’s basketball is expanding through new digital brands and broadcast partnerships. CBS Sports launched ‘hoopHer’, a social media brand dedicated to women’s basketball coverage featuring highlights and interviews with figures such as Lisa Leslie and Jenny Dell. This launch occurred alongside comments from NBA player Kevin Durant, who characterized recent political controversies regarding the WNBA as “noise” while emphasizing the league’s commercial growth.

In collegiate athletics, the Big 12 Conference has formalized its media expansion for the 2026-27 season. For the first time in conference history, women’s basketball will feature three national broadcast partners: ESPN, FOX Sports, and CBS Sports Network. While men’s basketball matchups will be distributed across networks including ESPN, FS1, TNT, Peacock, and FOX, the women’s schedule will see CBS Sports Network debut its coverage with matchups such as Texas Tech against Oklahoma State and Arizona State against various NCAA Tournament teams. A significant portion of these games will also be available via streaming on ESPN+.

Following the formalization of these partnerships, the Big 12 Conference and its broadcast partners released the specific television schedules and tip-off times for the 2026-27 season. The schedule confirms that programs such as Baylor, Texas Tech, and Arizona State will feature national television designations across ESPN, FS1, and CBS Sports Network. Recent updates confirm that the Big 12 women’s basketball schedule will include 28 linear broadcasts, with Baylor specifically scheduled for 11 national broadcasts.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-13: Collegiate athletic programs announce 2026-27 season schedules and broadcast deals

Collegiate athletic programs, including those in the Big 12 and Pac-12, have announced 2026-27 season schedules, television broadcast partners, and media day details.

12 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/big-12-conference-announces-womens-basketball-broadcast-schedule

### 2026-09-22: CBS Sports launches hoopHer social media brand for women’s basketball

CBS Sports has launched hoopHer, a new social media brand for women’s basketball, as Kevin Durant praises the WNBA’s growth despite ongoing league controversies.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/cbs-sports-launches-hoopher-social-media-brand-for-womens-basketball

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Cite as: Expansion of women’s basketball media coverage. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/expansion-of-womens-basketball-media-coverage